Speaking to business leaders in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said Article 50 — which officials kicks off divorce proceedings from the EU — would not be triggered without extensive negotiations between Britain’s regional parliaments. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU, England and Wales voted to leave.

“All options are on the table,” Sturgeon said. “It might well be that the option that offers greatest stability [for Scotland] is independence.”

The Scottish National Party leader said the EU was facing “unprecedented times.”

“There are no rules to what happens next, the page is blank,” she said, adding that although this posed challenges it also “gives opportunity to be creative, shape the future.”

Sturgeon set out key Scottish interests she believes must be protected during the Brexit talks, including retaining free movement of labor and access to the single market.

“I don’t want to give up the single market advantages that we have now,” she said.

Theresa May’s first trip outside London was to Edinburgh for talks with Sturgeon, and the new British prime minister said she was “willing to listen to options” on Scotland’s future relationship with the EU.

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Posted on 7/25/16 | 2:01 PM CET

FierEuropeen

Article 50 is just a formality. For all effects the divorce is already running in the UK society, after the brexit victory. There’s no turning back. The only way for the Scottish keep their cherished European citizenship and benefits, is to became independent from England. The Scots are truly Europeans in heart unlike the english that are nothing Europeans.

Posted on 7/25/16 | 2:18 PM CET

FierEuropan is a moron

FierEuropean, The Scottish are the parasites of Europe. They only want England to pay their socialist bills and have absolutely no way of paying their own way, shame they didn’t go independant in 2014, as they would be truly bust by now. The only reason they want to stay in the EU, is to suck out as much money as they can get their grubby hands on. Mind you I guess they can supply the booze to the drunkard Jean-claude!!

Posted on 7/25/16 | 2:54 PM CET

Tom Cullem

Nicola Sturgeon, in her desperate attempt to save the SNP and her political career from redundancy, is now spouting fantasies that are quickly drawing close to the border of unsuitability for office.

The “options” have already been explored: the EU has made it clear in no uncertain terms that Scotland cannot “remain” in the EU whilst part of the UK when it leaves. Sturgeon also knows she cannot win a new indy ref given Scotland’s economic problems. Scotland cut off from the UK will not be grandfathered into the EU, but will turn into Greece without the sun as it gets on line for years waiting to get into the EU, like other tiny little nations waiting to get in with lousy economic portfolios, and cut off from the huge economic subsidies it gets from the UK.

Sturgeon and her party’s core raison d’etre is cutting loose from rUK. If that idea recedes into impracticality for another generation, the SNP itself, and Sturgeon, become politically irrelevant. She’s already lost some of the ground she won after the indy ref and the 2015 GE. She knows that, and so she has to keep the Independence Fantasy alive no matter what the cost to the Scots who she is deceiving.

Sturgeon is playing a dangerous game with the economic fortunes of Scots, and with their psyches. She can’t hold a referendum unless Westminster gives permission for it. She knows Westminster will do no such thing. She also knows that with oil at $46 barrel and a huge deficit and a home economy virtually flatlining, and 75% of Scotland’s trade being with the rest of the UK, taking Scotland out of the UK now would be suicidal.

By refusing to be honest with the Scots, and putting the fortunes of herself and the SNP before reality and truthfulness, Sturgeon is displaying the worst possible traits of a political leader, and if she doesn’t watch herself, they will prove her undoing.

Posted on 7/25/16 | 3:07 PM CET

ColinM

If the SNP are so in love with the EU why did they work so hard to avoid proposing joining the Euro at the 2014 referendum? Surely a party so committed to the EU would positively jump at the chance to be right at the heart of the EU by being in the EZ as well.

Jessica

Yay I love nationalists, We’ve had Salmond now Sturgeon just a dose of EU/indy crabs to come.

Posted on 7/25/16 | 3:45 PM CET

Taz

@FierEuropan is a moron

He thinks we care.

Posted on 7/25/16 | 5:51 PM CET

only me

Totally agree with Tom Cullen, the SNP must keep the independence fantasy in order to keep their one track supporters. Sturgeon must know she can never call a referendum, it won’t be allowed and if by some miracle was permitted by UK gov it would be a failure if the SNP won or lost.
I am amazed at the SNP supporters who still believe in her and the party, losing the EU referendum was supposed to be a trigger for indepence vote 2 but sensible people knew she would chicken out and not pull the trigger as is being shown by all these …doing all we can to stay in Europe conferences..what a stupid woman!
Can I be refugee from Scotland? help!

Posted on 7/26/16 | 2:49 AM CET

DanTheMan

@only me

Come to England mate, Scots do well here. And there is an endless supply of English to call b’stards all day long 😀